Giants thank fans for sticking ‘Together’

A Giants employee displays a special jersey with a gold “SF” logo the team will wear when they receive their World Series rings against the Cardinals April 7. (Scot Tucker/SFBay)

AT&T PARK — Sure, the highlight of the San Francisco Giants media open house Wednesday was probably the array of free food that the press had the privilege of sampling.

(Well, maybe not “sampling.” More like “gorging.”)

But the most resounding message in the brief presentation that the two-time World Champion franchise gave to the media was that it is still very appreciative of its devoted fan base.

And, that they will continue to thank — and reward — fans of the Orange & Black throughout the upcoming season.

Tom McDonald, Giants senior vice president of marketing, expressed this point of view to the media:

“The enthusiasm level of our fans is probably at an all-time high, and there’s really a very unique connection that has developed between the Giants players and our fans.”

The ad campaign “Together We’re Giant” will be continued and expanded into the 2013 season with the “Together Again” tag. Not just as an acknowledgement of the bulk of the 2012 roster returning, but as an acknowledgement of how much the fan base means to the team, McDonald explained:

“As we developed this year’s marketing campaign. . . it was clear that the “Together We’re Giant” campaign that we’ve been using the last couple of years, it really resonated with our fans. It really speaks the truth about the emotional connection that has developed between our fans and our players.”

Chief Executive Officer Larry Baer, fresh off the plane from Spring Training, also expressed his and the team’s gratitude towards the fan devotion:

“We feel very blessed that that “together” theme was really exemplified in many ways. . .”

Giants’ fans are being rewarded for more than just showing up to games and wearing hats with panda ears on them. They have also made the Giants a social media force that surpasses most other sports — and non-sports — tycoons.

On top of leading all of Major League Baseball in Google Plus and Instagram followers, Baer explained, AT&T Park is also the third most checked-in Facebook venue in the world, behind only Times Square and Disneyland.

To make coming to the ballpark even more enjoyable than it already is, the Giants are adding more promotions and giveaways to their home schedule.

From the return of the likes of Irish Heritage Night and Star Wars Day, the Giants are adding food truck pop-up events, even more bobbleheads and garden gnomes, and the already highly-anticipated Metallica Night on May 3.

And, of course, there will be the addition of even more delicious food to AT&T’s already-loaded cuisine repertoire. Original Joe’s burgers, sushi, and BBQ pulled pork sandwiches are just a few of tasty treats that will join the ranks of the ballpark franks and cha-cha bowls.

If the insane food and the return of baseball isn’t enough to bring the fan base “together again,” we don’t know what is.